They are also now following my Twitter account. I am feeling very chuffed about that, too. In my world it feels like a celebrity is following my journey. So this is very fascinating. Ha ha! (Easily pleased, I am).

After a girls-night-out plan suddenly got rain-checked, I then decided to have a girls-night-in and cook a dinner using all of my Le Creuset collection. You know, to celebrate the joyous occasion. (Again, so easily pleased).

Lastly for dessert (the only thing non Le Creuset related): No-bake cheesecake on coconut-prune-dates crust (my own interpretation of raw food movement). Recipe for crust is MOP original, whilst the filling is from the Joy of Baking

All recipes for the non-hyperlinked can be found below.

So, peeps, what’s your big plans for the weekend?

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RECIPES FROM THE EVENING

Baked Garlic Dip

Ingredients:

2 bulbs of garlic

6 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp tahini/ sesame seed paste

2 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Separate the garlic into individual cloves. Roast in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

When they are cool enough to handle, peel the garlic cloves (you can also enlist some help from your girlfriends to do so), and then chop them finely.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan or skillet, add the chopped roasted garlic and onion. Fry over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes and then remove from heat.

Mix in the lemon juice, tahini and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.

Serve with chunks of bread or cut fresh vegetables.

Mushroom + Garlic Souffle

Ingredients

4Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup chopped mushroom (I used shiitake)

2 tsp lime juice

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1/4 cup all-purpose four (regular Japanese komugiko)

1 cup milk

salt and pepper

2 eggs, separated

Directions:

Lightly grease the inside of four ramekins/souffle dishes with a little butter.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove the mushroom from the skillet using a slotted spoon into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the parsley.

Melt the remaining butter in a pan. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute then remove from the heat. Stir in the milk and return to the heat. Bring to the boil until thickened. (It’s almost like when you’re making a bechamel mixture).

Mix the sauce into the mushroom mixture and beat in the egg yolk using a hand mixture.

Using a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form peaks and fold int the mushroom mixture until fully incorporated.

Divide the mixture between the souffle dishes. Place the dishes on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven (200C/400F), for about 8-10 minutes, or until the souffles have risen and are cooked through. Serve immediately.

Chicken Tikka Masala on a bed of sauteed zucchini and spinach

Ingredients:

6 slices of chicken breast fillet

oil spray for the grill

slices of lemon juice

Chicken Tikka Marinate:

1 tsp chili powder

2 garlic cloves, crushed

15 gr fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garam masala

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Salad

1 zucchini sliced thinly

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch of spinach, chopped roughly

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions

Combine all the Chicken Tikka marinate in a medium mixing bowl. Add the chicken fillets in and marinate overnight.

Just before serving, prepare your griddle (I used Le Creuset griddle), spray with oil, heat until very hot.

Put chicken on the very hot griddle to there is a grill mark, then bring the heat down to medium. Grill the chicken fillet until cooked (about 4-5 minutes on each side). Transfer to a plate and squeeze the lemon to add some zing.